I'm a 6 hcp at my club I hit off the mat always! Some of the guys will comment like you did. I have always felt the mat builds confidence as your mentor did. Bravo for putting it out there so eloquently.👍
Problem I have with hitting off mats is yes gives u confidence then I go out on a course and proceed to chunk it up as that poor swing is ingrained from mats
You sound like a nice guy and you mean well and maybe for some people it works but I have ask you what you think about the pure physics of the swing and the interaction with the matt. You do not think practicing off concrete or the cart path is good I am sure. For woods and hybrids maybe the matt is ok but in reality good golfers take a 1/4-1/2 inch divot with them in the fairway. The irons the matts are very bad. I used to be a picker with my irons and as we know that is incorrect and as a picker you can hit on matts all day and it is going to be great. When you hit irons correctly you hit the ball first on the downswing and then the club hits the ground after and the bottom off the swing is after the ball and upwards of an inch lower than the ball depending on if it's a short iron or long. If you do that correct swing on a mat you are going to destroy your wrists and elbows and your body is not going to allow you to do that swing and is going to adjust the bottom of your swing up until you pick it clean. Your body does not want to hurt itself. Using mats with irons hurts your joints bad and your swing worse. You go out on the course and thin everything. You won't see a basketball player practicing on a 12' rim and you are never going to see a pro golfer hit irons of anything but grass or dirt or sand or something that the club can travel below in the swing because that is the correct golf swing. The part that fascinates me is that nobody has invented a mat that you can take divots out of and be able to keep your same correct swing. Grass tees are not feasible for every public driving range I get it. Hitting irons off of mats should be discouraged
@@gregsilver1640you are right that it’s not ideal practice but for those who can’t hit off grass it’s better than no practice. Using myself as an example, I work full time and have 3 kids who are young. I golf once a week and get to the range once a week as well but can’t go more than that. I live in the desert and therefore have no grass in my yard only sand. I use a large net and a good mat. When I use the mat daily I do better on the course than when I only hit off grass once or twice a week. Not saying it’s ideal but it’s better to practice more than less.
Another factor to consider is the condition of the grass at your driving range. I’d much rather hit off of mats than damp, sand filled grass. Much harder to compress your shots with bad soil
Thank you for sharing your video. Why is my sandwedge or lob wedge working for lob shots on the mat but on the pracice area on grass I blade or sometimes I dig the wedge many times. Any advice is really appreciated. Thanks.
The matts allow you to bottom out a little earlier and still hit a good shot. Keep in min that both a fat shot and thin shot, though seemingly on opposite ends of the spectrum, are often caused by the same thing. In both cases your club reached its lowest point before it reached the ball. My advice is to make sure you bump the ground left of the ball on your practice swings, and then try to do so again on the full swing. I’d bet it helps a bunch!
Good points. I definitely hit the ball better off of a mat, fluff my lie up in practice grass and I hadn't thought of the confidence factor either. I may have to rethink my practice!
Yes, I guess the thing for all of us is to not just consider mats a waste of time altogether. All things being equal, grass is better. But, if one looks they can find the good in the mats. I hope you’re enjoying great golf!
Hi Bobby. I hit a very nice and solid shots and contacs each time in driving range but always topping the ball on the golf course. Is it my fear divot and get stuck. I tried to hit deeper but occasionally stuck on the grass. Any good advice?
@@oceanyt8 I can tell you what you describe is so very common. First off, I take it you mean on the mats when you hit on the driving range? You hit then well there, but top them in the course. Basically, you’re bottoming out too early, likely by two to three inches. When the club reaches its lowest point it then starts coming up, ascending higher into the upswing part of the swing. Therefore, your club’s leading edge catches the ball around the equator, and it’s thin. Why don’t you suffer the same fate on the mats? Because you instinctively know the mats will save you. You have to hit more like 6 inches behind the ball to actually hit it fat. My suggestion is to learn to get the lowest part of your swing farther left, like on the target side of the ball. How? Start with practice swings and make sure your club brushes the ground left of the ball, and then attempt to do the same on the next swing when you actually hit the ball. It’ll take some time but eventually you will get the bottom of your swing to occur farther left and your confidence will skyrocket!
The mats allow me to take one piece of my swing at a time to practice and grove it. it helps me develop that muscle memory and often I will set up my iPhone to take video so I can watch later.
I'm hitting a lot better on mat vs grass at the range, but that might be because its not really grass but divet holes since the place gets hammered by thousands of ppl
If you have hand and wrist issues, do yourselves a favor. Do not hit off mats. One heavy hit into the surface is all it takes to ruin you for weeks or months. The ground gives you a divot; the mat gives you a sore hand and wrist.
bad mats can ruin your confidence too. Mats that are Too hard or hitting off mats with worn out valleys from people swinging down into the mat. It has to be a Quality mat! with some give to it so you are not afraid to hit down like you would on grass or you will instinctively change your attack angle and your swing.
You're absolutely right. Hard mats will give you golfer's elbow, which is no fun. They seem to have gotten softer in the last decade or so, but even then, they can eventually become hard.
I, too started by working at a driving range. I drove the tractor and cleared the range each night. So I could hit all I wanted, but I had to pick them all up! (best job I ever had) Did it for 5 years during high school and college. Mat material has changed greatly over the years, but I still won't go when it is "mats only". Have to dig it out of the dirt to take it to the course. What was that guy's name, who said that.......
The same here. I loved, loved the driving range life. So simple and well defined. You hit the balls, I'll go find and gather them, and we can do it again and again! No attitudes to deal with, I loved it!
Not only for full shots, I do 90% of my chipping practice off a mat. It's much more efficient to develop technique that way, then transition to marginal lies when the technique is sound.
@@jkdjose the fact that you can ever hit well means your swing is workable. In at least 95% of the cases where someone hits better from the mats than the grass the golfer just bottoms out too soon. The mats will forgive that, the fairway grass will be less forgiving. If you can get the lowest part of the swing to happen two to three inches farther left I’d bet your ball striking from the fairway would greatly improve. Please keep me posted!
For some reason, I am horrible when using irons off of mats.. it’s not like I’m some amazing golfer either way, but out on the course or the short game practice area at my muni course… I can a majority of the time hit my irons good enough to be happy with my shot. But when I go indoors, I always shank it, for some reason I can’t hit off mats.. idk if it’s a mental thing or what. Looked like a fool again recently testing out new clubs at a shop. Then the guy said “maybe we should get you some oversized game improvement irons” and of course I can’t be like “I usually am way better then this” excuses are horrible
Lol! That’s a tough spot to be in! You know the guy is used to hearing stuff like that, but in your case you’re telling the truth. I don’t know what you might do about that. I guess you’re meant to be a grass guy! There are a number of you out there.
I felt the same about mats but I use them to concentrate on accuracy tweaking left and right of the 50 an 100 yard markers without digging a hole or looking for the perfect lie.
the golf swing is purely physical and mechanical, the mentallity and confidence aspect is overrated because literally everyone thinks they're going to play well until they hit a few bad shots
You didn’t convince me and the player who wants to take a divot and tee up the ball. Oh! I also left out the countless golfers who injure themselves on artificial golf mats. Including a guy I know who blew out his rotator cuff from hitting off an artificial golf mat.
No difference between mats and grass. If your not hitting ball first from the mats then grass is just going to frustrate you more. I have coached plenty of players including tour pros from mats. I actually paint 🎨 on my mats to help beginners and pros see path and face alignments.
Hey Bobby! Do your fans a favor and take a divot and tee the ball up. One more thing! I can just imagine the confidence appreciated by a junior golfer who misjudges the arc of his swing and slams down on the artificial mat causing pain and injury! The pathetic thing is that you received so much notoriety from your rant.
I'm a 6 hcp at my club I hit off the mat always! Some of the guys will comment like you did. I have always felt the mat builds confidence as your mentor did. Bravo for putting it out there so eloquently.👍
Thank you so much! Those of us who know see the value of swinging the golf club however we can do it. Thanks for tuning in!
This is so absolutely true about that self-confidence and self-image of who you are and how you play.
I totally agree self-confidence is everything.
This is actually a fantastic video.
Thank you, AL!
That’s some good perspective. Just what I was looking for.
@@motohertz9339 thank you so much, I’m glad it hit home!
Problem I have with hitting off mats is yes gives u confidence then I go out on a course and proceed to chunk it up as that poor swing is ingrained from mats
I feel that way about golf as a whole, lol.
You sound like a nice guy and you mean well and maybe for some people it works but I have ask you what you think about the pure physics of the swing and the interaction with the matt. You do not think practicing off concrete or the cart path is good I am sure. For woods and hybrids maybe the matt is ok but in reality good golfers take a 1/4-1/2 inch divot with them in the fairway. The irons the matts are very bad. I used to be a picker with my irons and as we know that is incorrect and as a picker you can hit on matts all day and it is going to be great. When you hit irons correctly you hit the ball first on the downswing and then the club hits the ground after and the bottom off the swing is after the ball and upwards of an inch lower than the ball depending on if it's a short iron or long. If you do that correct swing on a mat you are going to destroy your wrists and elbows and your body is not going to allow you to do that swing and is going to adjust the bottom of your swing up until you pick it clean. Your body does not want to hurt itself. Using mats with irons hurts your joints bad and your swing worse. You go out on the course and thin everything. You won't see a basketball player practicing on a 12' rim and you are never
going to see a pro golfer hit irons of anything but grass or dirt or sand or something that the club can travel below in the swing because that is the correct golf swing. The part that fascinates me is that nobody has invented a mat that you can take divots out of and be able to keep your same correct swing. Grass tees are not feasible for every public driving range I get it. Hitting irons off of mats should be discouraged
@@gregsilver1640you are right that it’s not ideal practice but for those who can’t hit off grass it’s better than no practice.
Using myself as an example, I work full time and have 3 kids who are young. I golf once a week and get to the range once a week as well but can’t go more than that.
I live in the desert and therefore have no grass in my yard only sand. I use a large net and a good mat. When I use the mat daily I do better on the course than when I only hit off grass once or twice a week. Not saying it’s ideal but it’s better to practice more than less.
Another factor to consider is the condition of the grass at your driving range. I’d much rather hit off of mats than damp, sand filled grass. Much harder to compress your shots with bad soil
That’s definitely true for me, too. It matters most that we make the most use of what we’ve got. Thank you for tuning in!
Hitting off mats hurts my right inner elbow because of no give.
Thank you for sharing your video. Why is my sandwedge or lob wedge working for lob shots on the mat but on the pracice area on grass I blade or sometimes I dig the wedge many times. Any advice is really appreciated. Thanks.
The matts allow you to bottom out a little earlier and still hit a good shot. Keep in min that both a fat shot and thin shot, though seemingly on opposite ends of the spectrum, are often caused by the same thing. In both cases your club reached its lowest point before it reached the ball.
My advice is to make sure you bump the ground left of the ball on your practice swings, and then try to do so again on the full swing. I’d bet it helps a bunch!
Good points. I definitely hit the ball better off of a mat, fluff my lie up in practice grass and I hadn't thought of the confidence factor either. I may have to rethink my practice!
Yes, I guess the thing for all of us is to not just consider mats a waste of time altogether. All things being equal, grass is better. But, if one looks they can find the good in the mats.
I hope you’re enjoying great golf!
Hi Bobby. I hit a very nice and solid shots and contacs each time in driving range but always topping the ball on the golf course. Is it my fear divot and get stuck. I tried to hit deeper but occasionally stuck on the grass. Any good advice?
@@oceanyt8 I can tell you what you describe is so very common. First off, I take it you mean on the mats when you hit on the driving range? You hit then well there, but top them in the course.
Basically, you’re bottoming out too early, likely by two to three inches. When the club reaches its lowest point it then starts coming up, ascending higher into the upswing part of the swing. Therefore, your club’s leading edge catches the ball around the equator, and it’s thin.
Why don’t you suffer the same fate on the mats? Because you instinctively know the mats will save you. You have to hit more like 6 inches behind the ball to actually hit it fat.
My suggestion is to learn to get the lowest part of your swing farther left, like on the target side of the ball.
How? Start with practice swings and make sure your club brushes the ground left of the ball, and then attempt to do the same on the next swing when you actually hit the ball. It’ll take some time but eventually you will get the bottom of your swing to occur farther left and your confidence will skyrocket!
@@bobbysteinergolf Thanks so much. I will give a try next day. Much appreciated.
Entertaining and useful advice, The use of matts should be integral to learning and practicing. Thanks Bobby
Thank you!
great Video. Love the story
Thank you much, Ray!!
The mats allow me to take one piece of my swing at a time to practice and grove it. it helps me develop that muscle memory and often I will set up my iPhone to take video so I can watch later.
I’m with you on that. Lots of good found on the mats if a person looks for it. I hope you’re playing great!
I'm hitting a lot better on mat vs grass at the range, but that might be because its not really grass but divet holes since the place gets hammered by thousands of ppl
Great story great information 👍 👏
Thank you much!
Thank you!
If you have hand and wrist issues, do yourselves a favor. Do not hit off mats. One heavy hit into the surface is all it takes to ruin you for weeks or months. The ground gives you a divot; the mat gives you a sore hand and wrist.
bad mats can ruin your confidence too. Mats that are Too hard or hitting off mats with worn out valleys from people swinging down into the mat.
It has to be a Quality mat! with some give to it so you are not afraid to hit down like you would on grass or you will instinctively change your attack angle and your swing.
this x100
You're absolutely right. Hard mats will give you golfer's elbow, which is no fun. They seem to have gotten softer in the last decade or so, but even then, they can eventually become hard.
Fun story and enjoyable. Your shirt looks like mine does when I eat Ramen with chopsticks.
Thank you, Christopher!
I, too started by working at a driving range. I drove the tractor and cleared the range each night. So I could hit all I wanted, but I had to pick them all up! (best job I ever had) Did it for 5 years during high school and college. Mat material has changed greatly over the years, but I still won't go when it is "mats only". Have to dig it out of the dirt to take it to the course. What was that guy's name, who said that.......
The same here. I loved, loved the driving range life. So simple and well defined. You hit the balls, I'll go find and gather them, and we can do it again and again! No attitudes to deal with, I loved it!
Impossible to practice ball-turf contact on a mat. In fact I think it encourages hitting thin shots.
Not only for full shots, I do 90% of my chipping practice off a mat. It's much more efficient to develop technique that way, then transition to marginal lies when the technique is sound.
I couldn’t agree more!
So why do I hit them better off the mat and the grasss is a disaster?
@@jkdjose the fact that you can ever hit well means your swing is workable. In at least 95% of the cases where someone hits better from the mats than the grass the golfer just bottoms out too soon. The mats will forgive that, the fairway grass will be less forgiving. If you can get the lowest part of the swing to happen two to three inches farther left I’d bet your ball striking from the fairway would greatly improve. Please keep me posted!
For some reason, I am horrible when using irons off of mats.. it’s not like I’m some amazing golfer either way, but out on the course or the short game practice area at my muni course… I can a majority of the time hit my irons good enough to be happy with my shot. But when I go indoors, I always shank it, for some reason I can’t hit off mats.. idk if it’s a mental thing or what. Looked like a fool again recently testing out new clubs at a shop. Then the guy said “maybe we should get you some oversized game improvement irons” and of course I can’t be like “I usually am way better then this” excuses are horrible
Lol! That’s a tough spot to be in! You know the guy is used to hearing stuff like that, but in your case you’re telling the truth. I don’t know what you might do about that. I guess you’re meant to be a grass guy! There are a number of you out there.
I felt the same about mats but I use them to concentrate on accuracy tweaking left and right of the 50 an 100 yard markers without digging a hole or looking for the perfect lie.
I’m with you. I think they’re a “some of the time” thing for sure!
Mats are great thing on some occasions for sure. Glad you can make use of then!
I hate mats
Baby steps...training wheels.
You’re right about that!
Mats are way more forgiving than grass - Way easier to hit shots off a perfectly flat mat.
I agree totally
My confidence is completely lost when I need to swing from grass….
the golf swing is purely physical and mechanical, the mentallity and confidence aspect is overrated because literally everyone thinks they're going to play well until they hit a few bad shots
You didn’t convince me and the player who wants to take a divot and tee up the ball.
Oh! I also left out the countless golfers who injure themselves on artificial golf mats. Including a guy I know who blew out his rotator cuff from hitting off an artificial golf mat.
No difference between mats and grass. If your not hitting ball first from the mats then grass is just going to frustrate you more. I have coached plenty of players including tour pros from mats. I actually paint 🎨 on my mats to help beginners and pros see path and face alignments.
I think you’re right. Whether or not mats and grass are the same makes little difference. Mats are useful!
I'm more confident on grass, Matt's hurt your body alot more than grass
Others express the same sentiment. Nothing is more important than what brings about confidence. Thanks for tuning in!
shut up! a golf!
Hey Bobby! Do your fans a favor and take a divot and tee the ball up. One more thing! I can just imagine the confidence appreciated by a junior golfer who misjudges the arc of his swing and slams down on the artificial mat causing pain and injury! The pathetic thing is that you received so much notoriety from your rant.
Great feedback, thanks for watching!